9:55 AM ET SECAUCUS, N.J. — The lottery has become a party for the damned. It is usually held in a fancy hotel, with pre-show mingling over cocktails and appetizers for VIPs. Once a team contingent showed up, let’s say, a little rowdier than usual after a private flight to New York. Representatives from each
NBA
10:49 AM ET After returning to campus after the birth of his son, Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley Jr. is clearing quarantine on Friday morning and will be in the lineup for Game 3 of the Western Conference first-round series against the Denver Nuggets today, sources tell ESPN. Conley is expected to return as
8:45 PM ET NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league is likely to delay its previously planned Dec. 1 start for the 2020-21 season in the hope of getting paying fans back into arenas. Though the NBA’s bubble environment in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., has been a success, Silver said the league is not focusing
8:58 PM ET ESPN News Services The Minnesota Timberwolves won the NBA draft lottery Thursday night. The Timberwolves had a 14% chance at the No. 1 overall pick and a 40.1% chance to land in the top three. The Golden State Warriors hold the No. 2 pick, the Charlotte Hornets got the No. 3 pick
10:47 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Falling behind 0-2 wasn’t an option for reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. In a spirited Game 2 performance versus the Orlando Magic on Thursday, Antetokounmpo responded with 28 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 111-96 victory, evening the first-round series at 1-1. “I think
8:19 PM ET Thunder star Chris Paul shouldered the blame following Thursday’s 111-98 loss, which gave the Houston Rockets a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference series despite not having Russell Westbrook in either game. Paul admitted that he has “gotta do more.” “Straight up. It’s that simple,” Paul said. “That run they went
11:26 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard left Thursday’s 111-88 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter because of a dislocated left index finger. X-rays on Lillard’s finger were negative, the team announced. Lillard, who scored 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting in 30 minutes, did not return to the
2:33 AM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — LeBron James missed seven of the 11 shots he took in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 111-88 Game 2 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, with his 10 points Thursday accounting for the fewest he has scored in a win in his 241 career playoffs games. It helps
4:55 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri issued a statement on Thursday afternoon in his first public comments since video footage showed the altercation with Ujiri and a San Francisco-area sheriff’s deputy following the clinching game of the NBA Finals last year. Ujiri starts the statement thanking everyone who expressed “disappointment and
4:47 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said he knew something was wrong the moment he suffered a Grade 3 right ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Boston’s victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their first-round series. “I knew right away,” Hayward said